As a man who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you have special concerns that don’t affect most women. Because most men aren’t aware that it is possible for them to get breast cancer, receiving a diagnosis can be difficult.
Once diagnosed, many men with breast cancer feel many conflicting emotions. On the one hand, you’ve been told you have cancer–a life threatening disease. Yet many men do not feel that they can discuss with others that they have breast cancer, due to embarrassment or other reasons. As a result, many men with breast cancer feel very alone.
To further complicate matters, there is not a great deal of information about male breast cancer available, so decision-making and self-education can be difficult. About 1,500 men are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. In scientific terms – to many healthcare professionals — this is not a significant amount of people, making it harder to study the disease and publish new information about it. However, in human terms, there are 1,500 men each year who need information and support regarding their cancer diagnosis.
The 24-hour Y-ME National Breast Cancer Hotlines can provide you with information about male breast cancer, and help address your concerns. In addition, you can be put in touch with a man who has survived male breast cancer through the Men’s Match Program.
